A day after Punjab Government assured the State’s farmers of putting in place a sound procurement system, nothing much happened on the ground. Even as the Government authorities on Thursday claimed that the procurement process has been put back on track and is running normally in the State, there are reports from several areas including Batala in Gurdaspur and some parts of Ferozepur, of procurement agencies not turning up, or buying wheat at “low rates”.
At the same time, in some districts, the employees of procurement agencies have refused to buy the farmers’ produce questioning the State Government’s directives of buying “lusterless and broken” wheat at fixed minimum support price (MSP) without providing any suitable place to store it. They argued that the already-damaged wheat would worsen further in few days, and the agencies concerned would be held responsible for the rot.
Struck by the vagaries of nature, the State’s farmers are a harried lot. Despite State Government’s assurances, the procurement system is yet to be put in place. However, the Punjab Mandi Board chairman Ajmer Singh lakhowal expressed hope that the procurement process would accelerate in the coming days. “All the issues with the truck unions, purchase agencies, and all concerned have been resolved and the procurement would pick up in the couple of days,” lakhowal told The Pioneer.
At the same time, lakhowal did not disagree with the reports that some of the procurement agencies were not turning up to purchase the grains and charging low rates. “The State Government has announced its decision that all the crops of the farmers would be purchased and that too at the fixed MSP of Rs1,450, and also that it would pay for the State agencies’ loss, then there is no point in agencies refusing to lift wheat,” he said.
Punjab Cabinet, on day before, has decided to purchase all wheat, even if does not meet the specifications, at the fixed MSP of Rs1,450 per quintal. The Government has also announced that it would bear the price of value cut, imposed by the Centre. lakhowal said that the procurement has picked up its pace on Thursday after Government’s decision, but it was still 48 per cent less than the previous year’s figure on the same day. “But as the process gain momentum, we would match up with the previous year’s figure in the coming days,” he added.
So far, the wheat procurement in the State was 8,29,588 lakh tonnes till Wednesday. Out of this, the State Government agencies has procured 7,74,878 lakh tonnes, which is 93.4 per cent, for the central pool, while the private traders procured 54,710 lakh tonnes, 6.6 per cent. Among all, Ferozepur district is leading the procurement operations by procuring 1,49,211 lakh tonnes of wheat followed by Bathinda and Fazilka procuring 1,10,091 lakh tonnes and 1,01,305 tonnes of wheat respectively.
Meanwhile, detailed guidelines to execute smooth and hassle free procurement operations in the State have already been issued to the concerned. The reports are that procurement process has been going smoothly and gathering speed in Moga district and some parts of Ferozepur. On the other hand, no procurement agency has turned up at Batala, while farmers were forced to sell wheat at low rates in some mandis of Ferozepur.
“The agencies are buying wheat at low rates. Mandi Board official is maintaining that the farmers would get two bills — one of the rate on which they are selling their produce and second will be of the amount by which it is less than the MSP. like if they are selling their produce at Rs1350, the farmers will get two bills of Rs1350, and of Rs100 that would be given to the Government which would pay for that,” Bharti Kisan Union National president Bhupinder Singh Mann informed The Pioneer.
Mann maintained that such a “confusion” would further lead to farmers’ harassment as no one would pay them later. The Punjab Government’s request against imposing a value cut on wheat procurement in case of broken, shriveled grains and grains with luster loss has failed to find favour with the Centre.
Also, the Centre had relaxed specifications for procuring wheat in some States, including the neighbouring Haryana, with a value cut of Rs14.50 per quintal against the MSP of Rs1450 per quintal, while leaving out Punjab. “The Centre has always criticised with Punjab. Relaxations, similar to Haryana, should also be given to Punjab. Our Chief Minister (Parkash Singh Badal) would soon meet and take up the issue with (the Prime Minister Narendra) Modi,” said Mandi Board chief lakhowal.